Published: September 12, 2025
This week, Liberia’s public sphere has been alive with debate. Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe’s stinging denunciation of “mercenary journalism”, quickly reinforced by former Information Minister Ledgerhood Julius Rennie, has drawn both applause and unease. Their criticism is not misplaced. Journalism that trades truth for political or financial favor undermines public trust and weakens democracy. It should have no place in our society.
By Lennart Dodoo | Publisher, The Liberian Investigator
But while we condemn mercenary practices, as we must, we should also acknowledge a harder truth that Liberia’s professional media is gasping for air. And if we fail to confront the structural and financial fragility of the sector, we will end up with fewer credible institutions and more of the very mercenaries we all decry.
The Economics of Survival
Running a media institution in Liberia today is a herculean task. Advertising revenue — the traditional backbone of journalism worldwide — is threadbare here. Most newspaper advertisements come in the form of job vacancies, procurement notices, or invitations to bid. Increasingly, these are not published in print at all, but redirected to government websites, including the President’s official website and HR portals.
Even when ads do reach newsrooms, the government, Liberia’s largest advertiser, has a poor record of paying its bills. Some outlets are still owed from the previous administration, which itself inherited debt from its predecessor. The result is a vicious cycle, leaving struggling media houses to limp from one financial crisis to another, unable to invest in training, investigative reporting, or even basic operations.
Contrast this with Ghana, for example. The state-owned Daily Graphic, which maintains an independent editorial line, publishes pages of advertisements from the country’s largest banks, telecoms, hotels, and service providers. Interestingly, some of those same banks also operate in Liberia, but we barely see them advertise in the Liberian press. In Ghana, the private sector recognizes the press as a vehicle for commerce and public engagement. In Liberia, apart from a few exceptions like Orange Liberia and Lonestar MTN, corporate advertising in mainstream media is nearly nonexistent. Major hotels, banks, and service providers rarely, if ever, use Liberian newspapers or radio for promotion.
Sustainability Is Democracy’s Lifeline
This is where the conversation must shift. It is not enough to condemn bad actors; we must build the conditions for good journalism to thrive. Professional media institutions cannot sustain themselves on condemnation and courage alone. Without reliable revenue streams, ethical newsrooms shrink while “mercenary” ones, flush with cash from political patrons, expand.
Liberia urgently needs forums, multi-stakeholder spaces bringing together government, business, civil society, and the media itself, to design mechanisms for sustainability. These could include:
- A transparent framework for government advertising that guarantees timely payments and allocates notices fairly across outlets.
- Incentives for private sector advertising, recognizing media as part of the national economic and democratic infrastructure.
- Media development funds or tax incentives tied to professional standards, helping outlets upgrade technology, improve salaries, and invest in investigative reporting.
- A revitalized Press Union of Liberia (PUL) empowered not only to police ethics but to advocate for sustainable industry reform.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
The alternative is bleak. If credible institutions collapse, Liberia will be left with a media landscape dominated by those with the deepest pockets — often politicians and vested interests. Truth will become negotiable, accountability optional, and democracy hollow.
Cllr. Gongloe is right: mercenary journalism is a threat to Liberia’s fragile democracy. But so too is the slow death of professional journalism through neglect. To safeguard our democratic future, critics and stakeholders alike must go beyond lamentations and convene solutions.
Condemnation is easy. Sustainability is hard. But only the latter will ensure that Liberia’s media remains what it must be: an independent watchdog, not a mercenary for hire.
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